Tool carrier for gloves



Sept. 8, 1942. E, P, MERRlON 2,294,997

TOOL CARRIER FOR GLOVES Filed F'eb. 27, 1941 Patented Sept. 8, 1942 Unire;

TOOL CARRIER FOR GLOVES Earl P. Merrion, Lake Wales,`Fla. Application February 27, 1941, Serial No. 389,949

2 Claims.

This invention is directed to an improvement in gloves of the type employed when the user is engaged in the carrying out of some particular mechanical work which involves the employment of a particular tool; and the invention is more particularly concerned` with providing as a more or less xed attachment of the glove, a tool holder in which the tool may be conveniently applied and from which it may be as conveniently removed, with the tool, when in the holder, held in the most effective position for operation, an-d remaining in that position at all times when in the glove holder, even when the tool is not actively in use.

In connection with particular operations, among which may be more especially mentioned the clipping of fruit stems in gathering fruits, the trimming of hedges, the clipping of flowers and like occupations, an approp-riate tool usuallyv of the pincher type involving handle sections to be pressed together for the operation of the tool is used, and the carrying out of the clipping or pruning operation is a matter of unnecessary inconvenience and effort, where the tool is entirely free of the glove and must be positioned in the gloved hand for each successful or series of operations.

The complete operation of the tool from the glove necessitates that the user must hold the tool not only in a convenient position for operation, but must provide for retaining the tool in the hand or, as usual, in a pocket of the users garment when the tool is not being actually employed, as when the user is moving from place to place. This requirement, as previously, necessarily involved a considerable loss of time and labor in positioning the tool in the gloved hand for use, and then after use in removing the tool from the gloved hand to some place of temporary storage until next required.

The primary object of the invention is to provide the glove which is universally employed in clipping and pruning, with means in which the tool can lbe initially placed, and retained when so placed, in the most effective position for use in clipping or pruning or like operations.

The tool carrier of the present invention in which the tool may be readily placed, or from which it may be readily removed, is arranged in a particular location in the palm of the glove to receive one handle of the tool and hold and position the remaining handle in proper relation to the fingers so that by merely gripping of the tool the desired operation is effected.

The tool carrier or support effectively maintains the tool in this ready-to-operate position at all times entirely free of any voluntary hand action on the part of the user. Therefore, the tool is always in position to be operated and when not being actually used, is still held in a position to be eifectively operated without any voluntary action on the part of the user to either so position it or hold it.

The invention is illustrated in the accompany-1 ing drawing, in which Figure 1 is a perspective View showing a glove provided with the improved tool holder, and with a tool of a particular type in position in the holder; l

Figure 2 is a longitudinal section on the line 2-2 of Figure l;

Figure 3 is a longitudinal section on the line 3 3 of Figure 1.

The essential detail of the present invention involves the use of a sleeve-like holder or carrier l preferably but not necessarily of flexible material, with such carrier including a hollow sleeve-like portion 2 open at both ends and a projection 3 from the tube-like portion, but which tube-like portion is secured to the glove.

The carrier is usually made of flexible material, such as leather, rawhide, canvas or even of the same material of which the glove is constructed, and when of flexible material is, as illustrated, made up of a strip, bent to form the tubular sleeve-like portion 2, and the ends projected to form the securing tab 3.

The important characteristic of the improvement is the particular location and position of the holder or carrier. This is secured to the palm of the glove at an angle to the length of the glove, with the end 4 of the tubular portion 2 underlying the thumbstall 5 of the glove 6. The exact location of the holder will, of course, |be controlled more or less by the form of the tool.

In the present instance, the tool 'I is shown as an ordinary fruit clipping tool of pincher-like form, having clipping jaws 8 and handles 9 and I0, which handles are held spaced apart by a spring Il, tending to hold the clipping jaws open. The tool is applied to the carrier by inserting one of the handles I0 in and longitudinally of the holder, as clearly illustrated in Figure 1, and while the carrier must at all times be in part beneath the thumbstall of the glove, the particular location of the carrier and the particular angular relation to the glove i-s determined by the spread of the handles of the tool when in normal position. That is to say, the holder or carrier, when one of the handles of the tool is inserted therein, will support the tool so that the clipping jaws are positioned beyond the glove for eiective use, and more particularly, the remaining handle 9 overlies the ngerstalls Ila of the glove.

With the tool in this position, it is held in the glove entirely without any voluntary action on the part of the user, and always in position to be used in clipping or pruning. More importantly, by the particular location and angular relation of the holder or carrier, the handle I0 which overlies the inner side of the iingerstalls is in the best effective position to operate the tool by merely bending the fingers in the glove and moving the handle 9 Itoward the handle I0, which latter is, of course, in the holder or carrier.

As the tool is operated, the thumbstall preferably moves down onto the holder or carrier, and so fixes the handle 9 of the tool with relation to the palm of the glove and hand that the mere pressure of the ngers on the handle IU completes the desired operation of the tool.

After the tool has been operated, the clasping pressure therein is merely released and by reason of the mounting of the tool in the holder, the tool remains entirely without any voluntary action on the part of the user in that most effective relation to the glove on` the hand as will permit effective tool operation, as previously described.

Of course, the essential advantage of the improvement is that the tool, when properly positioned in the holder as described, remains with the glove and always in position to be effectively operated merely by pressure on the handles. The tool does not have to be removed from the glove and placed in a pocket or other receptacle when not being actually used, but remains at all times connected to the glove, and more particularly in the best elective position on the glove to insure its simple, convenient and ready operation, merely by the finger movement.

It is obvious that the tool may be readily removed from the carrier whenever desired, and does not form a xed part of such carrier.

Furthermore, it is to be understood that the carrier may b-e of such size and in such particular denite relation to the palm of the glove as to accommodate tools of diierent character and of diierent sizes. For example, an electrician having frequent use of wire clips or pinchers, may have the carrier designed for these particular tools, or, the carrier may be designed so as to receive and properly support a knife-like tool or other hedge or iiower pruner or clipper. The improvement, therefore, comprehends the use of a holder or carrier which will retain a handled tool in proper position on the glove of the user, Without voluntary action on the part of the user to hold it, and with the more .important advantage of holding the tool at all times in the best position for its immediate, rapid and convenient operation.

Incidental to the sleeve holding the tool, it reinforces the glove and adds materially to the wearing quality of the glove.

What is claimed as new is:

l. In combination with a tool of the pinchertype having operating handles, a glove having a holding and positioning element secured to palm of the glove to removably receive one handle of the tool and position the remaining handle to overlie at least two of the ngerstalls.

2. A glove and a tool holding and positioning sleeve open at each end and secured to the palm of the glove partly underlying the thumb stall of theglove and at an angle to the length of the ngerstalls.

EARL P. MERRION. 

